


Blue Eyes

by valis2



Category: Riptide (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drama, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-09
Updated: 2010-08-09
Packaged: 2017-10-12 14:39:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/125926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valis2/pseuds/valis2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Nick had seen a lot of eyes since he'd arrived in 'Nam.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Blue Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Just a wee quick ficlet that popped into my head. Takes place in 'Nam.

* * *

Nick had seen a lot of eyes since he'd arrived in 'Nam. Brown eyes, green eyes, hazel eyes. Confused eyes. Scared eyes. Angry eyes.

But he'd never seen eyes as shattered as the blue eyes of Cody Allen.

Oh sure, the guy was movie-star handsome, slick as hell, easy and breezy and golden. But his eyes couldn't lie, and they were broken, deep inside, the sharp edges grinding together. His quick smile was just a different way to hide the pain.

Those in 'Nam because of a broken heart were the worst off. Even though Nick had only been there two months, he knew this. They were the walking wounded, pulling out old letters, staring into the jungle. Short-timers left them alone. Either they came around or they fell on a grenade, and it was better to stay out of the way just in case.

But Nick couldn't stay out of the way. He kept finding reasons to stand next to him. Talk to him. Share coffee with him. Bobby just grinned and rolled his eyes, and Steely grumbled about pet causes while checking over his medical supplies.

At night, those eyes haunted him. Hurt him, deep inside, like a knife slowly stabbing him through the heart. He was drawn to the blue, to the deep fractures within. "Got a thing for helpin' people, don't you," was all Bobby said.

And then Bobby was gone, a land mine taking him so suddenly and irrevocably that Nick couldn't even process what had happened. He stood there, staring at what had just been a thinking, breathing, living human being. It was Cody who grabbed him and dragged him to cover, Cody who pulled him down to the ground and lay next to him, sweating and gasping, while rifle fire crackled around them.

Those in 'Nam whose hearts got broken were the worst off. Nick couldn't even fathom a day without Bobby's languid smile, but he was forced to deal with it, every day pressing down on him, harsh and hot. He thought he might suffocate from the heat, the sticky, cloying, godforsaken heat. Death by land mine began to sound like a kindness.

But Cody wouldn't stay out of his way. He kept finding reasons to stand next to him. Talk to him. His coffee wasn't bad, either. And one day, the morning after a night Nick never thought he'd live through, he found himself staring into the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever seen.


End file.
